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Season 1 & 2 Discussion

Avabelle

By Avabelle
in Ted Lasso

Whimsy
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Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn

On 8/12/2021 at 11:28 PM, Juneau Gal said:

I don’t even know what they were thinking running a Christmas episode in August. Fanciful, sappy fantasy plays during the holidays, not so much August 13th. But, maybe that’s just me. 
I’ve tried to overlook some deficits this season to make myself believe it is just as great as last, but……….

Since this is streaming, and stuff just drops at random, but I wonder if because of buzz and Emmy nods, this dropped earlier than planned. I listened to a tv podcast and they had seen 8 episodes, but not all of the CGI (like adding the crowded stadium) was done yet. You'd think with streaming you'd have everything done and dusted before you started rolling it out. Which might explain why we got Christmas in August.

Then again the Hallmark channel goes for Christmas in July, so why can't Apple TV do it in the summer as well?

As for the episode I liked it. I enjoyed the references to other Christmas stories like Love Actually and the claymation opening. Despite some references to the rest of the series, it's a very stand alone story.

I love Roy and Keely's relationship, they were like okay Christmas didn't go as planned, whatever (also are we to understand that Roy's sister is a doctor or a nurse? Based on why he had Phoebe for Christmas) and how they focused on making Phoebe happy. But I really enjoyed how Keely's all kitted out for sexy Christmas and it seems Roy is ignoring her, but nope, he just didn't take in all her prep and as soon as he got a good look he properly appreciated her and her effort. And of course Roy effing Kent has seen Love Actually and is willing to re-enact it.

The Higgins family was adorable. I loved how at the end, the young Higgins who spent the entire day in awe of Richard's date got to dance with her in the street. Sam is just too sweet and polite for words. He doesn't believe in Christmas himself, but he kept the magic going for the youngest Higgins. And loved Dani and Mrs. Higgins bonding over a love of Tequila.

Finally any episode that ends with Hannah Waddingham's fantastic pipes, belting out Christmas songs can't be all bad.

And the timing is actually funny with the opening gag that one of the players knit a scarf for Collin himself, since the last week of the Olympics there was British diver Tom Daley knitting. Who knew that was the go to relaxer for British athletes.

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AstaCharles
AstaCharles

Cast in other roles: They're Here. They're There. They're Every F***kin Where.

Crs97
Crs97

I assume you mean you will channel your righteous anger into ways to serve your community.

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Schweedie

Schweedie

5 hours ago, SnarkShark said:

The Roy effing Kent/Keeley/niece plot was largely good.  But I would have trimmed it by about 50%.  Certainly the Bob Dylan sign crap at the end of the plot was bullcrap.  Unneeded.  If they insisted on forgiveness being the whole point of the plot, it could have been done more succinctly. 

I totally get why some would feel this way (especially if you're not familiar with the scene it's spoofing from Love, Actually), but I loved it so much - if only because it was Roy's idea, and that means Roy is a fan of Love, Actually. Which to me is perfect.

I was a bit thrown by a Christmas episode in August, but I still really enjoyed it. Loved how happy Colin was about his Secret Santa scarf. He could wrap it around his booze! And Keeley and Roy's reactions to poor Phoebe's breath had me rolling.

I do agree with the idea that we need a bit more conflict in the season - specifically, I want more actual football. Four wins, four losses and fourteen draws is not good, and on top of that there's the sponsor issue. We've had enough setting up the season now, there has to be more meat there. (I follow the Premier League and honestly the football angle was why I started watching the show to begin with.)

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Catfi9ht

Catfi9ht

I liked this episode. Although, I wish it had more Coach Beard, and are emergency dentists not a thing in England?

I thought Phoebe's ending with the bully was a great resolution.

With all the shit going in the world, it's nice to have an escape. As long as the show is in keeping with the characters, I don't give a shit if it's realistic or not.

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SoMuchTV

SoMuchTV

2 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Stupid paywall.  What is incognito mode and how does one do it?

Right click (or long-press) and select "open in new private window" or something similar.  At least in Chrome & Edge.  I'm not sure about other browsers.

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SnarkShark

SnarkShark

1 minute ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Stupid paywall.  What is incognito mode and how does one do it?

I just tried it and it did work.  It means using a Private tab.  Most browsers are going to call it one or the other of those things. Usually it will be an option overall, but may also be a right click option. 

It DOESN'T work for all paywalled sites as I recall, but did here. 

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SeanC

SeanC

14 hours ago, SnarkShark said:

Certainly the Bob Dylan sign crap at the end of the plot was bullcrap.  Unneeded.

Why was it "unneeded"?  It's a film parody, it's one of the episode's more elaborate jokes.

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Pj3422

Pj3422

17 hours ago, bugsmum said:

I loved this episode.  The Love, Actually stuff was hilarious.  Jamie's "God bless me everyone" was hilarious.  The balance between the funny and Ted's first Christmas divorced was really good.  Loved Higgins hosting the team.  And of course - Roy Kent.  He can do no wrong.

Me too! It was exactly what I needed. And my Grinchy little heart grew three sizes today. 

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meep.meep

meep.meep

Me three!  And my daughter also, so that's four!  We were laughing so hysterically during the card sequence that I'm not sure what they said.

This would make a perfect Christmas special episode - the plot didn't really advance at all, but it involved the whole cast.  Wish US television would do more of those.

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justmehere

justmehere

2 hours ago, SnarkShark said:

Paywalled. 

Sorry about that! I think they must allow a few articles per month or something, because I do not subscribe and I didn't have to pay anything to see it - nor use Private/Incognito mode. (Used my laptop and not my phone - don't know if that matters.)

Maybe try a different browser that hasn't registered cookies for the site? 

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MissLucas

MissLucas

I had to laugh at the Dylan cards scene because the quest for a dentist had already been a shout-out to 'Love Actually' - including the kid who wondered if Roy would sing. And yet I did not get what Roy's request for cards and pens would lead to. Well played show.

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truebluesmoky

truebluesmoky

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I thought it was 100% perfect. I will watch it again for Christmas. I loved that everything that COULD have been annoying conflict wasn’t… the player who received the scarf loved it, Jamie was able to get a gift for his teammate from Ted’s office so he still got to be part of secret Santa, Ted has a good interaction with his son even though it was a little sad, Keeley wasn’t upset about her plans with Roy changing, the Love Actually signs for Bernard weren’t mean but poignant and true, the Higgins Family was happy and didn’t panic about all the players showing up, etc., etc. Perfect for a Christmas episode… I don’t need conflict or drama in a holiday episode. Just love.

I think this season is slowly setting up conflict that will come up before the season ends. Ted is eventually going to have to see the therapist and work out his issues with therapy stemming from his marriage counseling experience and also truly accept the loss in his life and other issues he’s dealing with. Nate will eventually be called out on the changes in his attitude and behavior since being a coach. Not sure what else is in store for the other characters, but I trust that the writers have a plan.

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Crs97

Crs97

I thought it was very interesting and in character that Jamie did not go to the Higgins’ party.  I loved this episode!  My only side-eye was how many presents Rebecca was leaving for each kid.  I assumed at first they brought the bag to pull out 1-2 gifts, not hand over the whole bag itself.  That first house looked nice as well.

I love Roy.  And Keely.  And Roy and Keely together.

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DearEvette

DearEvette

I loved EVERYTHING about this episode.  With the exception of Ted obviously being alone and not happy as he claimed, nothing felt predictable or cliche.

Keeley and Roy have such a functional, evolved relationship.  I adore them.  And I love how they are together and interact with Phoebe.  That story was charming as hell.

Rebecca coming to rescue Ted was a nice touch as was their serenade of the Higgins family.

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

 My only side-eye was how many presents Rebecca was leaving for each kid.  I assumed at first they brought the bag to pull out 1-2 gifts, not hand over the whole bag itself.  That first house looked nice as well.

I thought this as well, but then I just headwanked that she had an actual letter from the kids  instead of some generic list of needy kids.  So there was a limited number of kids she was the Santa for and she got them everything on their list. 

But my absolute favorite was the Higgins family Christmas.  How very mannerly of all the players to show up with a covered dish!  And Higgins' wife just seemed so nice and didn't seem phased at all when all the players showed up.   And Look Higgins knowing everybody's hometown!  Even the incredibly beautiful woman plus one was dancing with one of the Higgins boys at the end and having fun, not sitting in bored ennui.

And I am glad they allowed Nate and beard to keep their plans and didn't shoe horn them in or have Jamie come because that would have been out of character as well.

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Fostersmom

Fostersmom

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I thought it was very interesting and in character that Jamie did not go to the Higgins’ party.  I loved this episode!  

I love Roy.  And Keely.  And Roy and Keely together.

I didn't want Jamie to go to the party, but I did wonder what Jamie was doing for the holiday. 

I loved this episode. Sure it was completely random, and did nothing for the plot, but it was a feel good episode. Sometimes that's just what we need. And of course Roy is familiar with Love, Actually! He's obviously a fucking softie deep down! I about died when his eye started twitching at Phoebe's breath. 

 

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Crs97

Crs97

48 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

I just headwanked that she had an actual letter from the kids  instead of some generic list of needy kids.

She definitely did have a list.  She asked if the child remembered writing it and then gave it to the mom.  It was just odd that she didn’t have much in the car and yet it was dark by the time they were done.  Didn’t quite add up for me, but I can get over that!

I was quite worried that when Ted was FaceTiming his wife, a man would be heard or seen on screen.  Very grateful they didn’t include that trope.

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MissLucas

MissLucas

Maybe those gift bags were so big because the charity program Rebecca was part of had added 'boring' essentials for those families in need? The whole plot needs a bit of hand waving but that's par for the course for Christmas themed episodes.

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srpturtle80

srpturtle80

(edited)

I have been living a nightmare for the past few days which culminated in me having to put my 4 year old cat to sleep yesterday. I hadn’t had a chance to watch the episode yet and decided to end my weekend with it. While it was odd watching a Christmas episode in August, it was just what I needed and left me with the warm fuzzies. Love, Actually is one of my favorite movies and I watch it every December, so I loved all of the nods to it.

I too thought the presents Rebecca brought were going to multiple kids. So I kept expecting her to make a comment to Ted as they left the first house that he wasn’t supposed to give her that entire bag lol. 

I love this show so fricking much. 

Edited by srpturtle80
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TimothyQ

TimothyQ

I love how this show skirts the line between heartwarming and schmaltzy so well. Another show doing those same story lines would’ve been waaay too over the top. But they really walked that line well this episode. 

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SnarkShark

SnarkShark

On 8/14/2021 at 6:50 PM, Crs97 said:

My only side-eye was how many presents Rebecca was leaving for each kid.  I assumed at first they brought the bag to pull out 1-2 gifts, not hand over the whole bag itself.  

That's part of why the whole plotline felt cartoonist to me.  First, that they felt they still needed to pound us over the head with Rebecca's true character, but adding the absurd bags of presents (that car boot wouldn't have fit more than a few of those) took it over the top. 

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bosawks

bosawks

On 8/14/2021 at 9:53 PM, Fostersmom said:

I didn't want Jamie to go to the party, but I did wonder what Jamie was doing for the holiday. 

Being screamed at by his Dad for buying shit gifts.

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xaxat

xaxat

I think the biggest reason I liked this episode is because there was no Ted Lasso "magic". It was just people being decent to each other.

Rebeca has a great wardrobe. And Hannah Waddingham wears it very well.

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thegirlsdad

thegirlsdad

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On 8/14/2021 at 9:01 PM, DearEvette said:

I loved EVERYTHING about this episode.  With the exception of Ted obviously being alone and not happy as he claimed, nothing felt predictable or cliche.

Keeley and Roy have such a functional, evolved relationship.  I adore them.  And I love how they are together and interact with Phoebe.  That story was charming as hell.

Rebecca coming to rescue Ted was a nice touch as was their serenade of the Higgins family.

I thought this as well, but then I just headwanked that she had an actual letter from the kids  instead of some generic list of needy kids.  So there was a limited number of kids she was the Santa for and she got them everything on their list. 

But my absolute favorite was the Higgins family Christmas.  How very mannerly of all the players to show up with a covered dish!  And Higgins' wife just seemed so nice and didn't seem phased at all when all the players showed up.   And Look Higgins knowing everybody's hometown!  Even the incredibly beautiful woman plus one was dancing with one of the Higgins boys at the end and having fun, not sitting in bored ennui.

And I am glad they allowed Nate and beard to keep their plans and didn't shoe horn them in or have Jamie come because that would have been out of character as well.

FYI, Higgins wife is the actors actual wife!

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SnarkShark

SnarkShark

2 hours ago, srpturtle80 said:

I keep wondering if they are end game…

They'd better not be.  It would ruin the show for me. 

The show at least started out by bringing us to the point of clichés, then going another way.  If they fall prey to that particular cliché, I'm going to be pretty upset. 

It also would seriously undermine the character of Rebecca.

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MerBearHou

MerBearHou

I just watched this last episode for a 2nd time.  It made me laugh and get so teary. 

So many high points have been mentioned, but one little one I noticed:  at the *exact* moment that you hear Clarence the angel jump in the water in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Rebecca appears outside Ted’s window.  Both Clarence and Rebecca were there to pull someone out of a dark place at Christmas.  

Roy, Keeley and Phoebe…the Higginses…Sam…the buskers…Rebecca (Hannah) belting out the last song…Santa’s sled overhead…homages to Love, Actually…a gem of an episode.  Who cares if it’s August?  This warmed my heart so much.

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DearEvette

DearEvette

A couple of my absolute favorite Ted Lasso lines came from season one:

----

Ted: “You must be Miss Welton”
Rebecca: “Please call me Rebecca, Miss Welton is my father.”
Ted:  (pause) “If that is a joke I love it. If not, I can’t wait to unpack that with you.”

----

Rebecca: “Do you believe in ghosts, Ted?”:
Ted: “I do, but I think it is more important for them to believe in themselves.”

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MargeGunderson

MargeGunderson

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

Rebecca: “Do you believe in ghosts, Ted?”:
Ted: “I do, but I think it is more important for them to believe in themselves.”

There are so many small things like that in the show that make me laugh. From the same episode, I love Colin’s reaction to the 400 ghosts haunting the treatment room: “That’s too many ghosts!” Also, Richard’s “We cannot fight them all.” Both said with such sincerity. Now when I am asked to do something unreasonable at work, I think “that’s too many ghosts!”

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pennben

pennben

(edited)

Ep 5. I love this show.  I love that song. That scene playing over the song, just brilliant...I teared up a bit.  The band is back together baby!!!  

Edited by pennben
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twoods

twoods

(edited)

Watched the last two episodes and absolutely loved the Christmas episode because it made me feel warm and fuzzy, and tonight’s episode was also great. I’m glad Nathan had a storyline and it involved Keeley and Rebecca supporting him. Also, all the shout out to the rom coms kept making me laugh, from Jerry McGuire to When Harry Met Sally.  Also we get more Roy Fucking Kent since he’s now a coach! Him running like Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire cracked me up especially when his knee gave out.
 

Ted grinning at his phone means Rebecca’s secret guy is him, right? This is not going to end well, unless those two are end game.

Edited by twoods
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SnarkShark

SnarkShark

Much better episode than the previous ones this season. 

That said, I can see the two obvious plotlines this is setting up, and I'm not sure I'll like either of them. Hopefully the show will swerve so those don't turn out the obvious way. As I said earlier even before this, Ted and Rebecca is an AWFUL idea, in every way possible.  So I hope this is either a misdirect, or if not a setup for a non-clichéd resolution.  And Roy's presence knocking all of the confidence out of Nate?  Again, this is at huge risk of spinning into cliché. 

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pennben

pennben

If there has been a “problem” this year (and I get some of that sentiment) it’s that the band has been apart—it’s akin to when Ron and Leslie were fighting for a few episodes in the tail end of Parks & Rec.  

I trust this show. That means I trust a Ted/Rebecca pairing (or whatever they do with this) as well as trusting the gentle education of Nate who is trying to learn to be confident mostly, prior to this episode, at the expense of his replacement team manager or whatever his former title was. 

Now that all are back together, I expect great things for the last half of the season. 

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SnarkShark

SnarkShark

(edited)

There are a few issues with Rebecca's chat partner being Ted though. 

Firstly, it would be quite obvious he's an American.  There's zero chance he'd change his spelling of certain words or use British words for things. 

Secondly, besides coming off as American, can we actually see Ted NOT using tons of Lassoisms?  It would strain credibility even more for a chat with him NOT to be filled with, if not specific aphorisms Rebecca knows, at least things said in that style. 

Edited by SnarkShark
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Whimsy
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This thread is now locked.  There are individual episode threads where you can take the discussion.  Feel free to quote a post from this thread and carry it over to the episode thread to continue discussions. 

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